Thor: Love and Thunder officially opened Friday, but thanks to sneak preview screenings on Thursday, the movie made nearly 30 million bucks. Deadline reports that performance was the second-best sneak preview haul of 2022 behind the $36 million made by another Marvel Studios film: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The all-time sneak preview champ for the MCU was 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which took in $60 million in the U.S. before its official opening date.
Thor: Love and Thunder, which stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, writer-director Taika Waititi, Christian Bale, and Russell Crowe, has made an additional $48.6 million from the foreign box office, totaling up to nearly $78 million worldwide.
Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.
(WASHINGTON) — Former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone appeared on Capitol Hill Friday morning for a closed-door interview with House Jan. 6 committee investigators after negotiations over what he could be questioned about.
His testimony will be videotaped and it’s expected that clips of Cipollone’s deposition will be presented during the committee’s upcoming public hearings, according to sources familiar with the planning.
Cipollone and the committee, according to sources, have agreed he can be asked about what he knows about the actions taken by former top Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark to use the powers of the Justice Department to attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, what Cipollone did during the day of Jan. 6, and interactions he was present for or had with former Trump lawyer John Eastman as well as interactions he was present for or had with members of Congress following the 2020 election.
The questioning on those topics is expected to exclude conversations he had directly with former President Donald Trump.
Sources close to Cipollone told ABC News it is possible he may claim some form of executive privilege, which sources familiar with the negotiations say is not expected to be challenged by committee investigators.
Committee investigators may also ask Cipollone about other topics, sources said.
Cipollone, appearing under subpoena, has been one of the panel’s most sought-after witnesses following last week’s testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former top aide to Mark Meadows, Trump’s fourth and final White House chief of staff.
Hutchinson told the panel that Cipollone was fearful of the consequences of Trump’s push to march with his supporters on Jan. 6 from the Ellipse to the Capitol, where Congress was working to certify the 2020 Electoral College results.
“Mr. Cipollone said something to the effect of, ‘Please make sure we don’t go up to the Capitol, Cassidy, keep in touch with me. We’re going to get charged with every crime imaginable if we make that movement happen,'” Hutchinson testified.
During the attack on the Capitol, Hutchinson also said Cipollone was pushing for Trump to make some kind of statement to help end the violence.
“Mark, something needs to be done or people are going to die and the blood is going to be on your f—— hands,” Cipollone told Meadows, according to Hutchinson’s testimony.
On Wednesday, Trump complained about Cipillone agreeing to an interview on his social media platform Truth Social.
“Why would a future President of the United States want to have candid and important conversations with his White House Counsel if he thought there was even a small chance that this person, essentially acting as a ‘lawyer’ for the Country, may some day be brought before a partisan and openly hostile Committee in Congress, or even a fair and reasonable Committee, to reveal the inner secrets of foreign policy or other important matters,” Trump wrote. “So bad for the USA!”
From compilation albums to projects by gospel legends and emerging R&B artists, check out this week’s New Music Friday for the culture’s latest & greatest in music.
—Brent Fiayaz, Wasteland— Already considered an R&B favorite, the Maryland native dropped off his second studio collection. He recently told Voguehe “didn’t really realize” it was an album until halfway through.
—Tye Tribbett, All Things New — Born out of the pandemic is the gospel legend’s latest project, the first in five years. It features music heavy hitters PJ Morton, Jekalyn Carr, Kierra Sheard and more.
—K Camp, “Holy Spirit” — Following the release of his latest 2021 album, Float, the Atlanta rapper provided fans with a new catchy single that seems to be part of a forthcoming album.
—Murda Beatz ft. Quavo, J Balvin, Anitta & Pharrell, “No Más” — The Canadian super producer tapped hip-hop and Latin favorites for the new track, which came with an accompanying music video.
We’re officially one step closer to seeing Rob Zombie‘s The Munsters film.
In an Instagram post Thursday, the “Dragula” rocker revealed that he’d wrapped filming on the project, which had been shooting in Budapest, Hungary.
“Well, that’s a wrap on everyone involved with The Munsters!” Zombie wrote. “Thanks Budapest you’ve been great. Enjoy your new Mockingbird Lane.”
Zombie’s The Munsters is, of course, a film adaptation of the beloved ’60s sitcom of the same name. It’s expected to premiere in the fall.
The movie’s cast includes Jeff Daniel Phillips, Sheri Moon Zombie and Daniel Roebuck as Herman, Lily and Grandpa Munster, respectively, as well as original Munsters actors Butch Patrick and Pat Priest.
Jennifer Aniston took to her Instagram to urge donations to a fund set up on behalf of a crew member on The Morning Show, who died in a motorcycle crash on July 4.
Erik Gunnar Mortensen, 39, was killed in the accident on a Southern California highway, leaving behind a wife, Keely, and their 2-year-old son Lars.
“This past week we suddenly and tragically lost Gunnar Mortensen,” Aniston posted, calling him, “One of the bright lights on our @themorningshow set.”
She added, “As camera assistant, he was so skilled and dedicated to his job. We are going to miss you, Gunnar.”
The Emmy-nominated actress and producer also pointed her 40.7 million followers to a GoFundMe set up by Mortensen’s union, Local 600, “to help raise funds for his family at this difficult time.” As of Friday, the campaign has raised more than $130,000.
Among those who have kicked in include E.R. director Mimi Leder, who donated $5,000, Mark and Jay Duplass, who directed Uncut Gems and who matched that sum, and The Morning Show‘s Billy Crudup, who donated $3,000.
Carrie Underwood’s Denim & Rhinestones album has been out for under a month, but it’s already getting a makeover: She’s releasing the record on special purple vinyl.
Along with the new vinyl, signed CD and vinyl box sets of Denim & Rhinestones are also available. Those include a number of extra perks like an exclusive t-shirt, rhinestone pack, denim tote and more. Only a limited amount of special package sets are available.
This August, Carrie will complete the throwback feel of the Denim & Rhinestone album cycle, releasing a cassette version of the project.
The new merch comes on the heels of Carrie’s promo week in the U.K., where she also joined legendary rock outfit Guns N’ Roses for two shows at their Tottenham Hotspur Stadium performances.
It marked something of a reunion for the unlikely pair: Carrie, a longtime rock fan, brought GN’R’s Axl Rose on stage during her Stagecoach set back in April.
DNCE released “Got Me Good,” a summer breakup anthem about someone getting played by their own handbook. “I can’t be that mad/ Got what I was giving/ Took a page from my book/ Damn baby you got me good,” frontman Joe Jonas croons over a bass beat that may just make your head nod.
blackbear is out with “the idea,” a song he credits for inspiring the forthcoming album in loving memory. The song stokes those nostalgic emo vibes from the early aughts. The track’s produced by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, who features in the song’s music video.
Marshmello teamed with Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram for the hypnotic new track “Sah Sah.” Marshmello said of working with the renowned “Queen of Arab Pop,” “I feel super grateful to be able to work on this song and step into her culture. I love that she trusted me and let me blend my style into her style.”
The Weeknd re-released the title track of his DAWN FM album and teamed with Uncut Gems composer OPN for a remix. The Weeknd played himself in the 2019 movie. “Dawn FM (OPN Remix)” blends in 80s retrowave synths and a Stranger Things-like beat while also amping up the singer’s haunting vocals.
After the opening verse of her song went viral on TikTok, Devon Cole released the full version of “W.I.T.C.H.” — the acronym for “woman in total control of herself.” Devon said in a statement her song “reclaims the witch as a symbol of women’s resistance.” The feminist anthem features a ’70s funk beat and rebellious fairytale symbolism.
Conscious rapper Vic Mensa will be joined by poet and activist Aja Monet at the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! music festival in Brooklyn, New York on Friday, July 8.
Kicking off at 7:30 p.m. ET, at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park, each of the artists will showcase their talents for a night concert celebrating the power of art to make change.
A South Side, Chicago native, Mensa can be known for using his voice and platform to advocate for social change, starting with efforts in his hometown and including the creation of the environmental justice foundation called Save Life Save Money.
In 2018, Mensa opened up about his social work to XXL Magazine. “Chicago, I feel, is a microcosm for the segregated, violent environment that is America,” he said. “I try to not only speak about these things in music, but also try to address these things in real life tangibly with action.”
As for Brooklyn native Monet, who’s known to be a change agent in the poetry space, she was nominated for an NAACP Literary Award in 2018 and was recognized for her cultural organizing work in South Florida the following year.
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! is a free music festival featuring performances, food and culture-forward events. The 44th annual fest kicked off on June 8 and runs through Aug. 6. For a full list of experiences and guests, visit Bricartsmedia.org.
Toast, an album that Neil Young recorded with his frequent backing band Crazy Horse in 2001, finally got its release day Friday.
The seven-track collection, which was recorded at Toast Studios in San Francisco, includes three songs that were never released in any form — “Standing in the Light of Love,” “Timberline” and “Gateway of Love.” The album is available now on CD, as a two-LP vinyl set and via digital formats.
Those who purchase Toast on CD and vinyl at Young’s Greedy Hand Store will receive a high-res digital download from the Xstream Store at Neil’s Archives website.
Coinciding with Toast‘s arrival, the 10-minute-long “Gateway of Love” has been issued as a digital single.
In a message first published on NeilYoungArchives.com in 2021, Young writes, “Toast is an album that stands on its own in my collection, unlike any other. The songs of Toast were so sad at the time that I couldn’t put it out. I just skipped it and went on to do another album in its place.”
He continued, “The music of Toast is about a relationship. There is a time in many relationships that go bad, a time long before the breakup, where it dawns on one of the people, maybe both, that it’s over. This was that time.”
Neil also praised Crazy Horse’s performance on the tracks, writing that the band “shows a depth never seen or heard before on any other Horse recording.” He added, “For the greatest group I have ever met — Crazy Horse — this is a pinnacle. Where they let me go, where they took me, was unbelievable. I couldn’t stay.”
Here’s Toast‘s full track list:
“Quit”
“Standing in the Light of Love”
“Goin’ Home”
“Timberline”
“Gateway of Love”
“How Ya Doin’?”
“Boom Boom Boom”
Jimmie Allen’s Tulip Drive is his most personal album to date, and there’s no song on the track list more personal than “Settle On Back.” With lyrics that speak to his career as a busy touring artist, it stresses the importance of taking breaks from the road to spend time with the ones that know him best.
For Jimmie, there’s no one that knew him better than his late father, James “Big Jim” Allen.
“‘Settle on Back’ is a song I actually wrote about my bipolar disorder,” Jimmie reveals in a conversation with Today’s Country Radio With Kelleigh Bannen on Apple Music. “When my dad was alive, he was the person that could always pull me back.”
When Jimmie was in a bad mental place, his dad would take him hunting or fishing, he continues. “A lot of people with mental issues has one person in their life that they have the strong connection with,” Jimmie goes on to say.
“…So when that person’s gone, I’m kind of stuck,” he adds. Jimmie’s dad died in fall 2019 at the age of 65. “So for me now, that song, I wrote it about what I do now when I feel frustrated or the entertainment business is too much,” said Jimmie.
